Fork Crown Race Removal

Simonb said:

Quoted message said:

special tools are necessary for this

Angle grinder

--
Kev

In article <[email hidden]>, Simonb

Quoted message said:

I need to take the fork crown race off on fork and put it onto
another. I have a feeling special tools are necessary for this. Is
this the case?

A good vice and a large hammer normally work.

--
A T (Sandy) Morton
on the Bicycle Island
In the Global Village
http://www.millport.net

"Simonb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I need to take the fork crown race off on fork and put it onto another. I
have a feeling special tools are necessary for this. Is this the case?

Thanks

Ideally, you should use a special tool which is basically a U shaped lump of
metal which rests on each side of the crown race, and which is shaped to fit
the race snugly. However, they're expensive, and you can probably get by
without one. Use a very large-ended punch (or anything else that fits onto
the rim of the crown race), and tap gently so that pressure is applied to as
much area of the race as possible. Alternate your blows from one side of the
crown to the other, and don't hit it too hard. The idea is to persuade the
race to come off without becoming lopsided, and to avoid hitting it so hard
that it cracks/bends (which can happen quite easily). Good luck!

Simon D said:

Ideally, you should use a special tool which is basically a U shaped lump of
metal which rests on each side of the crown race, and which is shaped to fit
the race snugly. However, they're expensive, and you can probably get by
without one. Use a very large-ended punch (or anything else that fits onto
the rim of the crown race), and tap gently so that pressure is applied to as
much area of the race as possible.

A bit of tubing of about 1" or 1.125" is good for this, or a block of wood.

...d

Simonb said:

I need to take the fork crown race off on fork and put it onto another. I
have a feeling special tools are necessary for this. Is this the case?

If you don't want to risk damaging the race, you need the proper tool. Your
local bike shop will have one.

Ian

David Martin [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

A bit of tubing of about 1" or 1.125" is good for this, or a block of wood.

This will only work if you cut two grooves in it for the fork crown. The
OP wishes to remove the race.

Jon

Simonb [email hidden] opined the
following...

Quoted message said:

I need to take the fork crown race off on fork and put it onto another. I
have a feeling special tools are necessary for this. Is this the case?

Having now removed and refitted headtube races and fitted a crown race
using only mallets, screwdrivers and blocks of wood, I can reasonably
confidently claim that no special tools are required. ;-)

Jon

"wheelsgoround" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Simonb said:

I need to take the fork crown race off on fork and put it onto another. I
have a feeling special tools are necessary for this. Is this the case?

If you don't want to risk damaging the race, you need the proper tool. Your
local bike shop will have one.

Ian

Seconded, after some experiences with bodge-it-yourself headset
installation which inevitably resulted in a trip to the bike shop to
get it done properly!
If the crown race was being binned and replaced with a new one, of
course, I'd heartily recommend the hammer & drift home-made option.

David E. Belcher

Simonb said:

I need to take the fork crown race off on fork and put it onto
another. I have a feeling special tools are necessary for this. Is
this the case?

Some crown races are on tighter than others. If no proper tool, I would
attempt the hammer and screwdriver method, but take the fork to a bike
shop if the race doesn't budge without a silly amount of force.

It's dodgy to bodge headsets with *alloy* races & cups (eg. Stronglight
A9) at all.

~PB

wheelsgoround said:

On 12-Aug-2004, "Simonb" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I need to take the fork crown race off on fork and put it onto
another. I have a feeling special tools are necessary for this. Is
this the case?

If you don't want to risk damaging the race, you need the proper
tool. Your local bike shop will have one.

Ian

I understand this, and yes, the crown race is to be re-used and the forks
are at the LBS right now.

Pete Biggs said:

It's dodgy to bodge headsets with *alloy* races & cups (eg. Stronglight
A9) at all.

Technically I suppose the races on an A9 are steel. The support for the
races is alloy. Mine were working fine till the fork crown race support
cracked. Because the race is steel it is still fine(ish) and the headset is
OK (I can still ride it no-hands) but it makes a bit of a buzzing noise and
will be replaced.

I'm tempted to bin the forks, and get the frame resprayed (and get a couple
of minor mods done as well. Get the BB shell sides perpendicular to the
screw thread (one side is about 0.5mm out, leading to the BB creaking and
remove the not quite at the right position braze on front mech hanger.)

Replace this with carbon forks in black, triple front mech and chainset and
all the old bits except a new stem. Will a double downtube lever work with a
triple chainset?

Colour scheme would be black at the front crossfade to racing green at the
back.

And then buy up a stack of uniglide cogs from SJS before they are lost
forever as the bike is a 7 speed Uniglide rear (with the screw on smallest
sprocket as a lockring.)

...d

David Martin said:

Quoted message said:

It's dodgy to bodge headsets with *alloy* races & cups (eg.
Stronglight A9) at all.

Quoted message said:

Technically I suppose the races on an A9 are steel. The support for
the races is alloy.

You might be right technically but the Stronglight ones are called "crown
races" commercially even though the bearings don't run directly on them.

I've ordered a French size (0.1 larger) in the hope that'll it fit better
than the standard ones which really seem too undersized for my British and
Italian forks.

Quoted message said:

Mine were working fine till the fork crown race
support cracked. Because the race is steel it is still fine(ish) and
the headset is OK (I can still ride it no-hands) but it makes a bit
of a buzzing noise and will be replaced.

Cracked might be ok for a while but I wouldn't want to use a bent one --
and that's what can happen when bodging. I know because I've been there
done that, unfortunately.

Quoted message said:

I'm tempted to bin the forks, and get the frame resprayed (and get a
couple of minor mods done as well. Get the BB shell sides
perpendicular to the screw thread (one side is about 0.5mm out,
leading to the BB creaking and remove the not quite at the right
position braze on front mech hanger.)

Replace this with carbon forks in black, triple front mech and
chainset and all the old bits except a new stem. Will a double
downtube lever work with a triple chainset?

Yes, they'll be plenty of travel.

Good luck with the project.

~PB